At 57, John Rinka doesn't look like a man who once scored nearly 70 points in a college basketball game. But at 5 feet 9 inches tall, he never much did -- reporters could barely write his name without prefacing it with "little," he said.Rinka could find the hole, though. As a senior at Kenyon College in 1969, he scorched the College of Wooster for 69 points, a dizzying tally especially in the era before the shot clock or 3-point line.It was the biggest bang in an All-American career of offensive explosions in Ohio. In four years, Rinka, now a teacher at Hoggard High School, poured in 3,251 points, 10th in the history of NCAA men's basketball. His senior year he averaged 41 points a game, led the nation in free-throw percentage and won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award for the best player under 6 feet.Around here his exploits were known by few outside of Hoggard. But in Ohio, Rinka's prolific scoring and nimble ballhandling rank him with some of the giants of the sport, now more than ever.Last month, he was introduced into the inaugural class of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame alongside luminaries such as CBS sportscaster Clark Kellogg, a former Ohio State star; Bobby Knight, who also played at Ohio State before coaching; and Oscar Robertson, a University of Cincinnati player and the only man in NBA history to average a triple-double over a season."I had the most wonderful time," he said. "I was like a … kid on Christmas."It was also a reassuring capstone to a career than ended with a cruel irony. He was drafted into the NBA by the Milwaukee Bucks, his hometown team. But leery of playing at home, he went to Utah Stars in the rival ABA where he could take advantage of the 3-point line.The Stars made him the last cut, however, opting to keep a local player on the bench for business reasons, Rinka said. Meanwhile, the Bucks won the NBA title wwith one of Rinka's high school rivals on the roster.He took it as a sign it was time to move on, taking a job as an assistant coach and athletic director at Brandeis University.He later moved to teaching high school English and coaching at campuses around the country. He's taught at Hoggard for six years.Selection to the hall was confirmation of his status in the basketball fraternity that he had often wondered about, he said."I was never quite sure what my place was," he said. "I just figured I was one of the many, I guess, second tier. This validates me."Teaching wasn't the lucrative path that basketball would have been. His contract with the Stars was for $20,000 a year with a $5,000 bonus, more than his father made as a coach and educator.But he loves teaching and working with young people, he said, especially those who are a little rough around the edges, often the ones he can use his playing experience to build a relationship with, he said.Rinka remains a basketball fan, and he coached in college and high school until three years ago. But his days as a player ended with the ABA. Basketball isn't something he can do casually. He rose to the top with hard work. As a player, he was either on the playground playing or in the gym practicing. His day didn't end without making 50 free throws in a row and 40 of 50 perimeter shots."When repetition will create success, it's really easy," he said. "If you want to be successful, you repeat."Sam Scott: 343-2370sam.scott@starnewsonline.com